Irish Traveller Rights Advocate Anne Burke Awarded UCC's Bertram Windle Award 2025
Anne Burke, Traveller Rights Advocate has been awarded the 2025 Adult Continuing Education (ACE) annual Bertram Windle Award at University College Cork (UCC) .
Anne Burke, who works with the Southern Traveller Health Network, has dedicated her career to advocating for human rights and equality of opportunity for Irish Travellers. She is especially committed to breaking down barriers and eliminating the discrimination that is still endemic in many parts of the education system in Ireland. Ms Burke’s lectures have highlighted systemic exclusion and discrimination that Irish Travellers still face in the Irish education system.
Following the 54th Annual Conference of eucen (European universities continuing education network) at University College Cork in 2024, the Anne Burke Declaration calling on the government to take real and effective action in supporting Traveller education, ensuring inclusion through anti-bullying initiatives, improving teacher knowledge and training to support Traveller children and including Traveller culture and history into the curriculum.
As a Coordinator and Lecturer for a groundbreaking initiative, Ms Burke played a pivotal role in enabling 21 Irish Traveller women to graduate from UCC with a third-level Diploma in Leadership in the Community in 2022. The Diploma was the product of an innovative co-design process that included UCC academics in the School of Applies Social Studies, representatives of the Southern Traveller Health Network (STHN), ACE (Adult Continuing Education) and Access UCC.
Graduate of the programme, Breda Quilligan commented on Anne’s award and the impact Anne’s work has had on the Traveller community; “Completing the Leadership in the community programme at UCC played a big part in giving me the confidence to apply for the role as Regional Development Worker with the HSE and Cork and Kerry Traveller Project in Tralee. I never would have dreamed of going for the job before that. It changed my life and now I encourage other Traveller women to go on to college and to take up education opportunities. I remember when I was small, and I saw Anne getting ready for work one day and I said I am going to do something and make something of my life like Anne.”
“She inspired all of us, especially when she chose to go to college with two small kids at home and then went on to found the Traveller Visibility Group which has had an impact on us all. Anne is a big role model in all our lives and everyone is proud of everything she's achieved, both for herself and for others."
Primary Health Care Worker, and UCC Alumnus Breda McCarthy commented: “"Without Anne Burke we wouldn't have completed the Leadership in the Community programme at UCC. We come from a community that faces a lot of obstacles and there were a lot of challenges we were impacted by during the programme like suicide in our community, but we completed the programme with her help. She has had a huge impact on Travellers and women. I now work as a Primary Health Care Worker with the Travellers of North Cork and completing the programme at UCC gave me the confidence to secure this role and complete further studies."
Cathal O’Connell, Professor in Social Policy at the School of Applied Social Studies, UCC delivered the Alfred O’Rahilly lecture on the evening, speaking on Promoting Citizenship Rights through Adult Education and Lifelong Learning – Challenges and Opportunities”.
The event took place as part of Irish Learning Cities Day, a joint initiative to promote learning in cities, across the island of Ireland.
If you are interested in developing your community and supporting positive change, you can start making a difference by enrolling in ACE’s community-based programmes. Flexible and part-time, they are designed to fit around the lives and commitments of adult learners. Register your interest for the next intake of any of the following programmes:
Mental Health in the Community
Social & Psychological Health Studies
Substance Use and Addiction Studies
Every effort is made to ensure that the contents of ACE’s programme webpages are accurate. The ACE programme webpages are intended only for the guidance of prospective applicants, current students and staff. The ACE programme webpages are not in any way to be construed as granting legal rights to any person or as imposing any legal obligation on University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork. No guarantee is given that programmes, syllabuses, examinations, fees, regulations, rules or orders may not be altered, cancelled, replaced, augmented or otherwise amended at any time.
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